Hannibal receives $1M-plus exposure in national magazine

It’s been said that a picture is worth 1,000 words. But can a dollar amount be placed on the exposure that a photo(s) and the accompanying text are worth?

DANNY HENLEYdanny.henley@courierpost.com

It’s been said that a picture is worth 1,000 words. But can a dollar amount be placed on the exposure that a photo(s) and the accompanying text are worth?

According to Gail Bryant, director of the Hannibal Convention & Visitors Bureau (HCVB), a recent spread on Mark Twain in a prestigious national magazine was far beyond her budgetary reach had she sought to purchase the same space in the publication.

“Smithsonian Magazine is probably something we could not ever purchase advertising in, and to have eight pages… The ad equivalence of that article was $1.4 million if we had to purchase it. It’s wonderful,” said Bryant, following a recent meeting of the HCVB Board.

The coverage is included in the Smithsonian Magazine’s April edition, which features an article by David Carkeet entitled “The Twain Shall Meet.” At Smithsonian.com, it teases the coverage with: Meandering along the modern Mississippi, a traveler finds the landscape the great American novelist loved has not lost its romance - or its humor.”

Bryant, who has read the story, estimates it is a 60/40 split between text and photos.

“It’s just wonderful the coverage that we received, and from the Smithsonian… ,” she said. “I can’t even hardly put it into words. That is great, great coverage.”

The coverage did not just happen by chance. Dr. Cindy Lovell, who served as executive director of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal for six years before departing Hannibal in February 2013 to become the executive director of the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn., played a large role in the article being written, according to Bryant.

“That’s something that Dr. Lovell worked with,” said Bryant, who wasted no time in placing a long-distance call to Lovell after seeing the magazine’s most recent issue. “I called her up right away and thanked her immensely for it. That’s tremendous. That’s just everybody getting the word out.”